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BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 
«• 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


IRRIGATION    STATISTICS 


TERRITORY  OF  UTAH, 


WITH  MATTERS  RELATIVE  THERETO. 


COMPILED    AND    PKEPARKD    FOR 


IRRIGATION   CONGRESS 


TO    BE    IIKLD    AT 


LAKE   CITY,  UTAH,  SEPTEMBER    is. 


BY    CHARLES    L    STEVENSON, 

SECRETARY    OF    UTAH    STATISTICS    COMMITTEE. 


SALT  LAKK      i  r, 


IRRIGATION  STATISTICS 


WITH  MATTERS  RELATIVE  THERETO. 


COMPILED   AND   PREPARED    FOR 


THE    IRRIGATION   CONGRESS. 


TO    BE    HELD   AT 


SALT      LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  SEPTEMBER   15,  16,  17,  1891. 


BY    CHARLES    L.    STEVENSON 

SECRETARY   OF    UTAH    STATISTICS    COMMITTEE. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH. 
1891. 


" 


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To  His  Excellency  Arthur  L.   Thomas,  Governor  of  Utah ;     Col. 

J.   W.  Donnellan,  Chairman  of  Utah  Delegation,  Irrigation 

Congress: 

The  Committee  on  Statistics  present  herewith  their  report 
concerning  irrigation  in  Utah  and  matters  relative  thereto.  In 
the  absence  of  a  Territorial  Engineer  or  other  officer  where  full 
information  can  be  had,  as  in  other  States,  your  committee  have 
been  obliged  to  adopt  the  following  course: 

First.  By  availing  themselves  of  the  very  complete  machinery 
of  the  Mormon  Church,  as  it  is  the  most  complete  repository  of 
local  data,  and  to  which  end  the  Church  authorities  have  given 
every  possible  ara,  circulars  of  inquiry  embracing  the  questions, 
deemed  most  desirable,  were  forwarded  to  every  President  of 
Stakes  and  Bishop  of  Wards  throughout  the  Territory. 

Second.  Somewhat  similar  notes  of  inquiry,  but  much  more 
in  detail,  embracing  thirty-two  questions,  ha/e  likewise  been  sent 
to  every  county  assessor,  county  surveyor,  and  Committee 
Delegate  from  Utah. 

Third.  Special  letters  to  Utah  Delegates  from  Scientific 
Societies  and  to  Departments  at  Washington. 

Fourth.  To  private  individuals  and  companies  who  are 
owners  or  have  been  engaged  in  the  construction  of  important 
canal  and  storage  works  in  the  Territory,  and 

Fifth.  The  obtaining  of  all  literature,  maps,  and  public 
documents  pertaining  to  irrigation  in  Utah. 


IV 

The  number  of  letters  thus  sent  was  four  hundred  and 
seventy-three. 

By  this  method  it  was  believed  that  so  many  checks  would 
be  had  upon  the  returns  as  to  eliminate  many  of  the  sources  of 
error  and  wide  differences  of  statement  had  in  previous  investiga- 
tions. In  this  respect  the  result  has  been  quite  satisfactory,  and 
the  amount  of  valuable  data  collected  very  large. 

The  Committee  began  their  investigations  the  first  week  in 
August,  but  owing  to.  circumstances  beyond  their  control,  and 
several  vexatious  delays,  the  returns  only  began  to  come  in  by 
September,  so  that  it  was  not  until  September  6th  that  the  work 
of  collating  could  be  commenced. 

Owing  to  the  then  short  time  at  our  disposal  it  was  found 
impracticable  to  carry  out  the  original  intentions  and  very 
reluctantly  we  were  forced  to  leave  out  some  two-thirds  of  the 
data  collected.  Much  of  this  was  quite  valuable  reading  and  of 
great  interest  to  Utah.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  whole  book  has 
been  prepared  and  printed  inside  of  eiglt  days.*  These  facts  are 
mentioned  so  that  our  sins  of  omission  and  commission  may  be 
condoned,  and  the  few  errors  that  have  crept  in  be  accounted  for 

Necessarily  any  book  of  statistics  is  a  work  mainly  of  com- 
pilation, hence  we  desire  to  here  extend  the  thanks  of  the  Com- 
mittee to  all  who  have  so  willingly  imparted  information. 
Especially  are  we  indebted  to  Hon.  John  T.  Caine,  U.  S.  Con- 
gressional Delegate;  Professor  Marcus  E.  Jones,  U.  S.  Treasury 
Expert;  R.  J.  Hinton,  Expert  of  U.  S.  Agricultural  Department; 
P.  E.  Newell,  Expert  U.  S.  Interior  Department;  General  A.  W. 
Greely,  Chief  Signal  Officer,  War  Department;  Major  J.  W. 
Powell  and  G.  K.  Gilbert,  of  Geological  Survey;  Joseph  Lipman, 
Territorial  Statistician;  O.  J.  Hollister,  Statistican;  the  Territor- 
ial and  Church  officers,  and  U.  S.  Senator  Hon.  Wm.  M.  Stewart. 


As  a  fact  that  may  be  overlooked,  we  would  remind  the 
Utah  delegation  that  at  the  last  session  of  our  Legislature  a 
memorial  was  addressed  to  the  U.  S.  Congress  petitioning  it  to 
enact  into  law,  Senate  Title  326,  "A  bill  ceding,  upon  condition, 
public  lands  to  the  State  of  California  and  other  existing  States, 
and  to  the  eventual  States  to  be  formed  out  of  the  existing 
Territories,  in  aid  of  the  irrigation  of  dry  and  arid  lands/'  'In 
this  memorial  the  Legislature  says: 

"We  believe  that  such  a  law  will  greatly  aid  the  important 
work  of  reclamatoin  of  vast  tracts  of  land  now  useless,  and 
would  add  to  the  population,  wealth,  and  grandeur  of  this 
country's  western  domain."  We  have  endeavored  to  obtain  a 
copy  of  this  bill,  but  unsuccessfully  up  to  date. 

Regretting  that  the  time  will  not  permit  rendering  more 
complete  work,  we  remain. 

Respectrully  Yours, 

JESSE  W.  FOX,  JR.,  Chairman, 
CHARLES  L.  STEVENSON,  Secretary, 

Statistics  Committee,  Utah  Delegation  to  Irrigation  Congress. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  Sept.  14,  1891. 


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OP   THE 


Territory  of  Utati, 

WITH  MATTERS  REL  \TIVE  THERETO. 

- 


MAIN    PHYSICAL    FEATURES. 

'TAH  is  situated  between  the  parallels  of  37  and  42  degrees 
north  latitude,  and  the  meridians  of  109  and  114  degrees 
west  of  Greenwich.  It  is  on  the  same  parallels  as 
Colorado,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Southern  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Vir- 
ginia, Spain,  Italy,  Greece,  Turkey,  and  Corea.  Utah  belongs 
to  the  great  plateau  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  its  valleys  being 
elevated  from  2,700  to  7,000  feet  above  the  sea,  while  its  moun- 
tain peaks  reach  a  height  of  12,000  to  13,500  feet  above  the  sea. 
One-half  of  the  Territory  is  on  the  western  side  of  the  Wasatch 
Mountains,  and  within  what  is  called  the  great  basin.  This 
basin  occupies  western  Utah,  nearly  all  of  Nevada,  and  parts  of 
California,  Oregon,  and  Idaho.  It  has  no  outlet,  the  drainage 
being  toward  two  great  depressions  where  there  are  salt  lakes, 
one  on  the  western  side  under  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains, 
and  the  other,  under  the  base  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  called 
Great  Salt  Lake.  There  are  many  other  minor  lakes  that  receive 
the  drainage  of  small  areas  which  do  not"  now  flow  into  either  of 
these  depressions,  but  once  they  all  flowed  into  one  or  other  of 
them.  These  lakes  have  no  outlet,  and  the  water  that  flows  into 
them  evaporates  by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  average  elevation 


8 

of  the  great  basin  is  from  4,200  to  5,500  feet  above  the  sea. 
Most  of  the  inhabited  portion  of  Utah  lies  at  the  western  base  of 
the  Wasatch  Mountains  and  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Great 
Basin.  The  eastern  half  of  Utah  and  a  small  portion  of  the 
southern  part  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
and  belongs  to  the  drainage  of  the  Colorado  River  and  its  trib- 
utaries. Its  valleys  range  from  2,700  on  the  south  to  7,000 
feet  on  the  north.  In  the  former,  figs,  almonds,  cotton,  and 
delicate  fruits  are  raised,  while  in  the  latter  only  small  grain  and 
potatoes  are  grown. 

The  Wasatch  Mountains  enter  the  Territory  on  the  north  at 
about  the  middle,  extend  nearly  due  south  until  near  the  southern 
boundary,  where  they  turn  to  the  westward  and  pass  out  into 
Nevada,  forming  in  Utah  the  letter  "J."  The  Wasatch  are  not, 
however,  the  rim  of  the  Great  Basin.  They  are  cut  through  by 
all  the  larger  streams  which  flow  to  the  westward,  but  they  are 
the  chief  sources  of  the  water  supply.  About  twenty  miles  east 
of  the  Wasatch  and  parallel  with  them  runs  the  rim  of  the  Great 
Basin,  a  low,  broad,  and  well-rounded  range  called  the  Coal 
Range,  which  has  an  average  elevation  of  7,000  to  8,000  feet 
above  the  sea,  and  encloses  between  it  and  the  Wasatch  some 
very  fertile  valleys,  such  as  Ogden,  Weber,  Sanpete,  Provo,  and 
Sevier.  At  the  upper  (southern)  end  of  Sevier  Valley  the  Coal 
Range  joins  the  Wasatch,  or  rather  the  Wasatch  fades  into  the 
Coal  Range,  and  turns  westward  into  Nevada.  West  of  the 
Wasatch  and  about  15  miles  from  them  runs  the  Oquirrh  range 
parallel  with  them.  About  the  same  distance  west  from  the 
Oquirrh  and  parallel  with  it  is  the  Aqui  range,  and  so  on,  with 
jnore  or  less  regularity  to  the  western  boundary,  extend  parallel 
ranges.  These  mountains  reach  a  height  of  8,000  to  11,000  feet 
above  the  sea,  rising  out  of  what  was  once  the  bed  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake.  These  ranges  run  from  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  Territory  nearly  to  the  southern,  as  far  as  the  rim  of  the 
basin.  They  have  the  peculiarity  of  running  along  for  30 
miles  or  thereabouts,  and  then  sinking  beneath  the  plain,  only 
to  reappear  as  another  range  a  few  miles  further  on.  .These 


<J 

interrupted  ranges  do  not,  therefore,  prevent  easy  communication 
with  any  parts  of  western  Utah,  and  they  also  enclose  between 
them  many  beautiful  valleys,  which  would  be  garden  spots  if 
there  were  sufficient  water  flowing  from  the  mountains  to  irrigate 
them.  The  Oquirrh,  Aqui,  and  Lakeside  mountains  run  through 
Great  Salt  Lake,  forming  those  ranges  of  islands  which  add 

much  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  lake. 

• 

DRAINAGE    SYSTEMS. 

As  stated,  the  Wasatch  rise  over  a  mile  above  the  valleys, 
run  from  north  to  south  through  the  Territory,  a  little  west  of 
the  middle,  until  they  reach  Iron  County,  where  they  turn  to  the 
southwest  and  into  Nevada.  Their  average  height  will  not  fall 
far  below  10,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Neatly  east  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  the  Uintahs,  still  loftier  than  the  Wasatch,  abut  on  them 
and  run  eastward  until  they  pass  out  of  the  Territory.  These 
are  so  close  to  the  northern  edges  of  Utah  that  we  get  little 
benefit  from  them,  while  to  the  south  of  them  is  an  Indian  reser- 
vation embracing  the  greater  part  of  the  arable  lands.  Nearly 
due  east  of  Utah  Lake  and  about  forty  miles  from  the  Wasatch, 
the  coal  range  starts  from  the  Uintahs  and  runs  southward  par- 
allel with  the  Wasatch  for  160  miles  when  it  joins  them  at 
Panguitch  Lake.  These  three  ranges  form  the  watershed  of 
Utah,  the  coal  range  and  Uintahs  forming  the  rim  of  the  Great 
Basin,  while  the  Wasatch  perform  a  similar  part  below  Pan- 
guitch. The  Wasatch  and  Uintahs  are  narrow,  lofty  and  rugged, 
while  the  coal  range  is  younger,  lower  and  broad.  The  Wasatch 
reach  their  culmination  near  Salt  Lake  City,  and,  aided  by  Great 
Salt  Lake,  give  the  greatest  water  supply  in  the  Territory.  The 
streams  from  this  source  irrigate  the  bulk  of  the  cultivated  area 
of  Utah. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  Territory  is  drained  by  the  Rio 
Colorado  and  its  tributaries;  the  western  part,  by  streams  that 
head  in  the  Wasatch  and  the  high  plateaus  of  the  central  part,  and 
find  their  way  into  the  salinas  and  desert  sands  of  the  Great 
Basin.  Thus  we  have  the  Rio  Colorado  drainage  area,  and 


10 

the    Desert   drainage    area;     the  former  about   two-fifths,   the 
latter  about  three-fifths  of  the  total  area. 

GREAT  SALT  LAKE  DRAINAGE  SYSTEM. — Three  rivers  enter 
Great  Salt  Lake,  namely,  the  Bear,  the  Weber  and  the  Jordan, 
and  upon  their  water  will  ultimately  depend  the  major  part  of 
the  agriculture  of  Utah.  They  rise  close  together  in  the  west- 
ern end  of.  the  Uintah  Mountains,  and  cut  through  the  Wasatch. 
Bear  River  flows  northward,  now  in  Utah,  now  in  Wyoming,  and 
into  Idaho  as  far  as  Soda  Springs.  Here  it  bends  round 
like  a  fish  hook  and  returns  on  a  more  westerly  line.  Re- 
entering  Utah  in  Cache  Valley,  it  passes  thence  by  a  short  canyon 
to  its  delta  plain  on  the  northeastern  border  of  Great  Salt  Lake. 
Its  principal  tributaries  are  received  in  Idaho  and  Cache  Valley. 
Utah  occupies  the  central  position  in  the  arid  region,  and  there- 
fore the  details  of  irrigation  in  this  Territory  possess  more  than 
ordinary  interest,  from  the  fact  that  they  represent  conditions  in- 
termediate between  those  of  the  north  and  south,  the  east  and 
the  west.  Besides  this  the  irrigation  methods  and  systems  have 
been  developed  by  men  of  English-speaking  origin,  who,  unaided  by 
capital  or  previous  experience,  have  introduced  methods  of  their 
own,  and,  taught  by  repeated  failures,  finally  achieved  success. 

IRRIGABLE    LANDS. 

In  Utah  Territory  agriculture  is  dependent  upon  irrigation. 
To  this  statement  there  are  some  small  exceptions.  In  the  more 
elevated  regions  there  are  tracts  of  meadow  land  from  which 
small  crops  of  hay  can  be  taken;  such  lands  being  at  higher  al- 
titudes need  less  moisture,  and  at  the  same  time  receive  a  greater 
amount  of  rainfall  because  of  the  altitude.  But  these  meadows 
have  been,  often  are,  and  in  future  will  be,  still  more  improved  by 
irrigation.  Again,  on  the  belt  of  country  lying  between  Great 
Salt  Lake  and  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  the  local  rainfall  is  much 
greater  than  the  general  rainfall  of  the  region.  The  water 
evaporated  from  the  lake  is  carried  by  the  westerly  winds  to  the 
adjacent  mountains  on  the  east  and  again  condensed,  and  the 
rainfall  thus  produced  extends  somewhat  beyond  the  area  oc- 


11 

cupied  by  the  mountains,  so  that  the  foothills  and  contiguous 
bench  lands  receive  a  modicum  of  this  special  supply.  In  some 
seasons  this  additional  supply  is  enough  to  water  the  lands  for 
remunerative  agriculture,  but  the  crops  grown  will  usually  be 
very  small,  and  they  will  be  subject  to  seasons  of  extreme 
drought,  when  all  agriculture  will  result  in  failure.  Most  of 
these  lands  can  be  irrigated,  and  doubtless  will  be,  from  a  con- 
sideration of  the  facts  already  stated,  namely,  that  crops,  will 
thereby  be  greatly  increased  and  immunity  from  drought 
secured. 

In  order  to  determine  the  amount  of  irrigable  land  in 
Utah,  it  was  necessary  to  determine  the  areas  to  which  the  larger 
streams  can  be  taken  by  proper  engineering  skill,  and  the  amount 
wnich  the  smaller  streams  can  serve.  In  the  latter  it  was  neces- 
sary to  determine  first  the  amount  of  land  which  a  given 
amount  or  unit  of  water  would  supply,  and  then  the  volume  of 
water  running  in  the  streams;  the  product  of  these  factors  giv- 
ing the  extent  of  the  irrigable  lands.  A  continuous  flow  of  one 
cubic  foot  of  water  per  second  was  taken  as  the  unit,  and  after 
careful- consideration  it  was  assumed  that  this  unit  of  water  will 
serve  from  80  to  100  acres  of  land.  Usually  the  computations 
have  been  made  on  the  basis  of  100  acres.  The  unit  was  deter- 
mined in  the  most  practical  way — from  the  experience  of  the 
farmers  of  Utah,  who  have  been  practicing  agriculture  for  the 
past  thirty  years.  Many  of  the  farmers  will  not  admit  that  so 
great  a  tract  can  be  cultivated  by  this  unit.  In  the  early  history 
of  irrigation  in  this  country  the  lands  were  over- supplied  with 
water,  but  experience  has  shown  that  irrigation  is  most  success- 
ful when  the  least  amount  of  water  is  used  necessary  to  a  vigor- 
ous growth  of  the  crops;  that  is,  a  greater  yield  is  obtained  by 
avoiding  both  scanty  and  excessive  watering;  but  the  tendency  to 
over-water  the  lands  is  corrected  only  by  extended  experience. 
A.  great  many  of  the  waterways  are  so  rudely  constructed  that 
much  waste  ensues.  As  irrigating  methods  are  improved  this 
wastage 'will  be  avoided;  so  in  assuming  that  a  cubic  foot  of 
water  will  irrigate  an  average  of  100  acres  of  land,  it  is  at  the 


12 

same  time  assumed  that  only  the  necessary  amount  of  water  will 
be  used,  and  that  the  waterways  will  eventually  be  so  constructed 
that  the  waste  now  almost  universal  will  be  prevented. 

The  recent  returns  to  the  committee  show  an  average  waste 
of  70  per  cent. 

In  determining  the  volume  of  water  flowing  in  the  streams, 
great  accuracy  has  not  been  attained.  For  this  purpose  it  would 
be  necessary  to  make  continuous  daily,  or  even  hourly,  observa- 
tions for  a  series  of  years  on  each  stream. 

Having  determined  from  the  operations  of  irrigation  in 
Utah  that  one  cubic  foot  per  second  of  water  will  irrigate  from 
80  to  100  acres  of  land,  and  having  determined  the  volume  of 
water  or  number  of  cubic  feet  per  second  flowing  in  the  several 
streams  of  Utah  by  the  most  thorough  methods  available  under 
the  circumstances,  it  appears  that  within  the  Territory  the 
amount  of  land  which  it  is  possible  to  redeem  by  this  method  in- 
cluding that  already  under  irrigation,  is  about  3600  square  miles, 
or  2,304,000  acres.  .  Of  course  this  amount  does  not  lie  in  a  con- 
tinuous body,  but  is  scattered  in  small  tracts  along  the  water 
courses.  Utah  has  an  area  of  84,970  square  miles,  or  52,001,600 
acres.  That  is,  4.23  per  cent,  of  the  lands  under  consideration 
can  be  cultivated  by  utilizing  all  the  available  streams  during 
the  irrigating  season.  Previous  estimates  of  the  total  arable- 
irrigable  lands  of  the  Territory  have  been  as  follows: 

Church  authorities, 2,525,403  acres. 

Powell  (not  entire)  ....  1,447,920      " 

Hollister, 3,000,000      " 

Jones, 2,000,000      " 

In  addition  to  the  streams  considered  in  this  statement 
there  are  numerous  small  streams  on  the  mountain  sides,  scattered 
throughout  the  Territory — springs  which  do  not  feed  permanent 
streams;  and  if  their  waters  are  used  for  irrigation,  the  extent 
of  irrigable  land  will  be  slightly  increased;  to  what  exact  amount 
cannot  be  stated,  but  the  difference  will  be  so  small  a$  not  to 
materially  affect  the  general  statement,  and  doubtless  these 


13 

springs  can  be  used  in  another  way  and  to  a  better  purpose,  as 
will  hereafter  appear. 

This  statement  of  the  facts  relating  to  the  irrigable  lands  of 
Utah  will  serve  to  give  a  clear  conception  of  the  extent  and  con- 
dition of  the  irrigable  lands  throughout  the  arid  region.  Such 
as  can  be  redeemed  are  scattered  along  the  water  courses,  and 
are  in  general  the  lowest  lands  of  the  several  districts  to  which 
they  belong. 

Whatever  conditions  future  developments  may  bring  about, 
the  present  water  supply  in  Utah  Territory  is  surface.  It  depends 
entirely  upon  the  fall  of  snow  in  the  winter,  and  to  a  slight 
degree  upon  the  rainfall  during  the  spring  and  fall  months  As 
a  consequence  the  character  of  the  water  supply  is  found  in  the 
mountain  streams.  The  fall  of  snow  in  the  mountains  is  incom- 
parably greater  than  in  the  valleys,  and  it  lasts  much  longer,  for 
the  reason  thai  the  cold  is  much  severer. 

The  snow  packs  in  the  ravines  until  almost  as  hard  and  solid 
as  stones.  The  solidifying  is  materially  assisted  by  what  are 
termed  "January  thaws,"  the  result  of  a  marked  relaxation  in  the 
severity  of  the  weather,  which  generally  occurs  during  the  month 
of  January.  This  temporary  relaxation  is  invariably  followed  by 
a  renewal  of  the  rigor  of  winter,  when  the  snow  which  has 
settled  and  become  packed  by  the  thaw,  freezes  until  it  is  almost  a 
solid  mass  of  ice.  The  snow  is  the  source  of  all  streams  in  Utah 
save  the  little  running  water  that  comes  through  rains. 

The  volume  of  these  streams  depends  entirely  upon  the 
season  of  the  year.  During  the  winter  months  the  supply  is  very 
small,  for  the  reason  that  the  quantity  of  melting  snow  is  at  its 
minimum  and  the  cold  has  a  tendency  to  stay  the  flow  .With  the 
disappearance  of  winter  and  the  increased  warmth  of  the  sun  the 
snow  begins  to  melt,  the  volume  of  water  increases  and  con- 
tinues to  grow  until  puny  and  tiny  streams  are  swollen  into  rush- 
ing torrents,  sometimes  causing  great  damage  from  the  over- 
flowing of  their  banks.  The  water  supply  attains  its  maximum 
height  between  the  10th  and  20th  of  the  month  of  June.  This 
statement  may  be  given  the  force  that  attaches  to  a  rule  almost, 


14 

if  not  entirely,  without  exception.  The  solidifying  and  freezing  of 
the  snow  in  winter,  as  above  stated,  makes  certain  the  tenure  of 
the  water  supply  that  would  otherwise  be  both  uncertain  and 
disastrous  ;  it  prevents  the  too  rapid  melting,  that  would  other- 
wise result  in  absolutely  uncontrollable  torrents  for  a  period, 
and  thus  makes  the  streams  available  for  agricultural  purposes. 

The  experience  of  Utah  farmers  as  to  the  best  methods  for 
increasing  and  controlling  the  water  supply  would  be  valuable 
only  to  people  surrounded  by  similar  country  with  like  elementary 
conditions  existing.  The  introduction  of  genuine  artesian  wells 
and  utilization  of  the  sub-flow  may  considerably  increase  the 
irrigable  acreage.  Experiments,  sufficiently  thorough  to  demon- 
strate the  success  that  would  attend  the  digging  or  boring  of 
such  wells  in  Utah,  have  not  been  made.  The  best  opinions, 
however,  are  that  the  geological  conditions  existing  in  Utah  are 
peculiarly  favorable  to  their  introduction  and  successful  develop- 
ment. 

The  Territory,  or  rather  its  habitable  portion,  is  com- 
posed of  valleys,  mountains  and  canyons,  with  some  lakes.  The 
melting  snow  on  mountain  and  in  valley  which  fails  to  find  its 
way  into  some  of  the  streams  must  sink  and  collect  somewhere, 
and  there  is  a  well-founded  belief,  which  can  easily  be  verified, 
that  beneath  these  valleys  are  subterranean  lakes  that  would  feed 
with  a  never-failing  supply  of  water  innumerable  artesian  wells. 
To  increase  the  supply  by  other  means  would  be  to  increase  the 
fall  of  snow,  a  thing  humanity  is  not  yet  prepared  to  base  a  cal- 
culation upon.  Preserving  methods  are,  however,  more  prac- 
ticable, and  nature  has  done  her  best  to  make  that  task  as  light  as 
possible.  The  outlet  for  all  the  streams  is  into  the  valleys.  The 
streams  come  from  the  canyons  high  above  the  valleys,  and  the 
supply  can  be  preserved  or  saved  by  the  construction  of  reser- 
voirs or  by  dams.  In  case  the  latter  method  was  adopted,  it 
would  simply  be  necessary  to  select  the  most  suitable  place  in 
season  and  place  a  dam  across  the  ravine. 

The  work  would  be  more  or  less  expensive  as  the  stream  was 
large  or  small  and  the  canyon  wide  or  narrow,  but  in  every   can- 


15 

yon  suitable  points  abound,  and  as  the  future  development  of 
Utah  largely  depends  on  her  permanent  and  increased  water  sup- 
ply, her  people  will  be  forced  to  resort  to  damming  the 
streams  within  their  natural  confines  in  the  ravines.  To  what 
extent  this  idea  carried  out,  would  save  the  water  that  yearly  runs  to 
waste,  the  word  "waste"  b£ing  used  here  with  the  knowledge  that 
every  drop  of  water  is  in  valuable  in  a  country,  where  agriculture  de- 
pends upon  irrigation,  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  form  even  an 
estimate,  and  for  several  reasons :  First,  the  volume  of  the  stream 
differs  every  day  in  the  year,  and  one  year  from  another. 
Second,  it  would  require  a  measurement  of  the  streams  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  amount  consumed  in  irrigation  and  in  local 
evaporation,  which  would  increase  with  increased  distributing 
canals  and  ditches. 

It  may  be  safe  to  state,  however,  that  if  complete  and 
thorough  methods  of  saving  were  introduced,  all  the  laad  in  the 
Territory,  if  it  could  be  reached,  could  be  well  and  thoroughly 
irrigated;  this,  too,  without  resorting  to  artesian  wells,  so  vast 
is  the  amount  of  water  that  runs  to  waste  during  the  winter, 
spring  and  early  summer  months. 

As  now  ascertained  the  average  first  cost  oE  water  right  in 
Utah,  $10.55  per  acre,  is  noticeably  great,  being  largely  due  to 
the  manner  in  which  the  ditches  and  canals  are  made.  Nearly 
all  are  laid  out  and  constructed  by  farmers  of  ordinary  education, 
without  the  use  of  surveying  instruments.  As  a  consequence, 
few  of  the  more  important  works  laid  out  in  this  manner  have 
proved  serviceable  without  great  changes,  involving  in  many 
instances  the  reconstruction  of  almost  the  entire  system.  The 
perseverance  shown  in  many  of  these  cases  is  remarkable. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  annual  cost  of  91  cents  per  acre  is  re- 
markably low,  from  the  fact  that  farmers  have  done  all  the  work  of 
cleaning  and  making  the  small  annual  repairs  necessary  after  the 
canals  and  ditches  were  in  successful  operation.  It  should  be  noted, 
however,  that  the  maintenance  is,  as  a  general  thing,  comparatively 
poor,  and  that  the  main  canals  and  ditches  receive  only  enough 
labor  to  keep  the  water  flowing.  It  undoubtedly  would  be  far 


Ifi 

more  economical  to  spend  a  larger  sum  annually,  and  thus  save 
much  water  which  is  lost  through  evaporation  and  seepage,  due 
to  the  poor  condition  of  the  channel.  The  changes  now  being 
made  in  the  construction  of  permanent  works,  scientifically 
built,  Awhile  they  may  not  materially  reduce  the  cost,  will  insure  a 
stability  of  construction  and  maintenance  which  heretofore  has 
been  as  variable  as  the  rainfall. 

The  use  of  flowing  wells  for  the  irrigation  of  gardens, 
orchards  and  vineyards  is  such  a  matter  of  interest  and  import- 
ance, that  at  the  time  of  making  the  agricultural  census  the 
enumerators  obtained  the  number  of  artesian  wells  owned  by  each 
farmer.  The  total  number  of  these  is  2,524.  Of  this  number, 
facts  concerning  the  depth,  cost,  flow  and  other  matters  of 
interest  have  been  obtained  from  the  owners  regarding  897 
wells.  The  average  depth  of  these  is  145.54  feet,  and  the  aver- 
age cost  is  $77.00  per  well,  the  average  cost  per  foot  in  depth 
being  53  cents.  The  diameter  of  these  wells  ranged  from  one 
and  a  quarter  to  four  inches,  or,  in  a  few  cases,  to  six  inches  or 
more,  the  average  being  from  one  and  three-quarters  to  two  and 
one-half  inches.  The  average  amount  of  water  discharged  by 
these  wells  was  26.37  gallons  per  minute,  equivalent  to  0.059 
cubic  feet  per  second,  or  second  feet,  as  is  the  common  term. 

Most  of  these  wells  were  used  for  domestic  supply  and 
watering  stock,  48.49  per  cent,  being  employed  in  irrigation, 
watering  on  an  average  4.74  acres  per  well,thus  making  the  average 
cost  of  irrigation  from  the  successful  flowing  wells  $16.37  per 
acre.  It  has  already  been  shown  that  the  average  cost  of  water 
right  from  canals  or  ditches  was  $10.55  per  acre. 

From  the  preceding  figures  the1  average  duty  of  water  from 
these  flowing  wells  has  been  ascertained  to  be  one  second  foot  to 
80.3  acres,  an  amount  which  could  doubtless  be  increased  if  the 
farmers  considered  it  feasible  to  store  part  of-  the  water  which 
flows  daily  during  the  non-irrigating  season. 

These  flowing  wells  are  confined  mostly  to  the  lower  parts  of 
the  valleys  along  the  foot  of  the  Wasatch  mountains  and  to  the 
lacustrine  deposits  from  the  great  body  of  fresh  water  which 


1 7 

formerly  filled  these  valleys,  and  which  has  been  named  Lake 
Bonneville.  The  wells  are  made  by  drilling  and  by  driving  pipe 
through  the  sands  and  clays  until  some  pervious  water-bearing 
layer  is  reached.  Along  the  eastern  shores  of  Great  Salt  Lake 
and  Utah  Lake  these  wells  are  particularly  numerous,  but  they 
gradually  decrease  in  number  and  discharge  as  the  higher  ground 
is  reached.  The  depth  as  a  rule  ranges  from  30  feet  on  the 
lowest  ground  up  to  400  feet  or  more  nearer  the  edge  of  the  valley. 
The  Utah  Bureau  of  Statistics  has  only  recently  been  organized, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  the  extent,  character  and 
cost  of  the  artificial  means  introduced  jn  the  Territory  for  the 
utilization  and  distribution  of  the  water  supply.  As  to  the 
flumes  for  mining  and  railroad  purposes  it  is  impossible  to  give 
even  an  estimate.  Very  little  is  necessary  for  railroad  purposes, 
and  where  water  is  not  otherwise  naturally  available,  wells  are 
utilized  and  form  the. almost  exclusive  supply.  It  is  sufficient 
with  regard  to  mining,  as  flumes  are  used  in  this  case  to  carry 
off  water  from  the  lower  workings  of  the  mines.  There  is  no 
hydraulic  mining  carried  on  in  any  part  of  Utah,  for  which 
reason  supply  flumes,  save  for  reduction  works,  concentrators^ 
leaching  purposes  and  milling,  are  unnecessary.  It  is  not  in- 
frequently the  case  that  the  water  out  of  the  mines  is  more  than 
enough  to  run  the  mills. 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  increase  and  decrease  in  the  water 
supply  depends  entirely  upon  the  fall  of  snow  in  the  winter  and, 
in  an  unimportant  degree,  upon  the  fall  of  rain  in  the  fall,  spring 
and  early  summer  months.  A  very  noteworthy  fact,  attested  on 
the  best  authority,  is  that  for  a  period  of  years  there  has  been  a 
steady  increase  in  the  water  supply.  It  has  been  thought  by 
many  that  the  claim  of  increased  water  has  been  more  imaginary 
than  real.  The  claim,  however,  has  been  verified  by 
measurements  made  in  Great  Salt  Lake,  which  is  the  reservoir 
for  many  of  the  largest  mountain  streams,  including  the  Jordan, 
which  is  the  outlet  of  Utah  Lake,  the  Bear  River,  the  Ogden, 
Weber,  Logan,  and  Blacksmith  Fork,  and  innumerable  smaller 
streams. 


18 

The  lake  has  a  shore  line  of  350  miles,  and  since  1856  the 
water  has  increased  14  feet  in  depth;  though  not  at  present  quite 
that  much ;  and  Great  Salt  Lake,  depending  as  it  does  entirely 
upon  the  inflowing  of  mountain  streams  and  that  amount  of 
water  which  is  not  consumed  by  agricultural  utilization,  shows 
beyond  question  that  there  has  been  a  marked  increase  in  the 
water  supply. 

This  rise  in  the  body  of  the  water  of  the  lake  has  taken 
place,  it  must  be  remembered,  during  a  period  when  there  was 
a  rapid  increase  in  the  demand  for  water  for  agricultural 
purposes. 

Where  irrigation  ha's  been  applied  for  a  few  years  there  has 
been  a  perceptible  decrease  in  the  amount  of  water  necessary  to 
irrigate  the  land  properly.  The  decrease  is  placed  at  about  25 
per  cent. 

The  value  of  irrigated  land  depends  entirely  on  its  location, 
not  only  in  the  Territory,  but  in  a  precinct  or  county,  and  upon 
the  character  of  the  soil,  which  often  differs  materially  from  land 
adjoining  it  and  enjoying  the  same  water  advantages.  In  earlier 
days  all  persons  interested  in  digging  a  canal  would  turn  out  and 
keep  on  working  under  the  direction  of  a  person  chosen  by  them- 
selves. Later,  laws  were  passed  on  the  subject,  and  will  be  found 
by  reference  to  the  statutes  of  the  Territory,  which  will  give  the 
fullest  attainable  information  as  to  water  rights  and  conditions 
in  the  Territory. 

Grants,  of  course,  were  given  to  municipal  and  canal  cor- 
porations, counties,  and  districts,  but  these  also  are  set  forth  in 
the  statutes. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  class  under  consideration 
in  the  Territory  was  the  construction  of  a  canal  to  supply  Salt 
Lake  City  with  water.  The  city  was  bonded  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  canal  was  commenced  in  December  of  1879,  and  finished  in 
the  fall  of  1881. 

Its  length  is  something  over  27  miles,  and  its  source  is  the 
Jordan  River,  a  short  distance  below  the  point  where  Utah  Lake 
has  its  outlet  into  the  Jordan.  The  canal  is  20  feet  wide  at  the 


19 

bottom,  the  depth  being  5  feet,  sufficient  to  carry  3|  feet  of 
water. 

Four  other  canals  have  been  constructed  in  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan,  all  about  of  the  same  capacity,  and  built  about  the  same 
time.  These  canals,  owing  to  inferior  construction  in  vogue  at 
that  period,  do  not  furnish  more  than  60  per  cent,  of  the  water 
entering  their  heads.  The  total  length  being  132  miles,  covering 
about  44,000  acres. 

As  a  contrast,  the  great  Bear  River  Canal,  which  enters  the 
north  end  of  Salt  Lake  Valley,  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  more 
modern  system  of  scientific  construction,  and  also  shows  what 
may  be  done  by  successfully  damming  a  large  river. 

BEAR    RIVER    CANAL    COMPANY. 

The  big  irrigating  enterprise  of  the  Bear  River  Canal  Com- 
pany has  been  mentioned  before,  and  also  the  appropriation  of 
Bear  Lake  as  a  reservoir  by  the  company.  The  latter  step  for- 
ever assures  the  supply.  The  headworks  for  the  canals  are  in 
Bear  River  Canyon.  A  canal  of  1,000  second  cubic  feet  capacity 
is  taken  out  on  each  side  of  the  river.  That  on  the  left  bank  is 
carried  down  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  about  forty  miles 
to  Utah  Hot  Springs.  In  this  vicinity  a  branch  is  led  off  toward 
the  lake,  where,  around  Plain  City,  there  is  a  large  body  of  warm, 
sandy,  rich  land.  The  main  canal  goes  on  to  Ogden.  There, 
exchanged  with  the  users  of  Weber  River  water,  the  latter  is  said 
to  be  taken  out  high  up  in  Weber  Canyon  and  carried  out  upon 
the  sand  ridge  south  of  Ogden. 

The  canal  on  the  right  bank,  where  it  reaches  the  valley 
plain,  strikes  up  the  valley  diagonally  three  miles  to  near  the 
Toponce  Ranch,  where  it  is  carried  over  the  Malad,  here  100  feet 
below  its  banks,  on  an  iron  viaduct  costing  $30,000.  Thence  it 
is  led  around  the  northeastern  edge  of  the  valley  past  Point 
Lookout  and  the  Walker  Ranch,  toward  Blue  Creek,  about  forty 
miles.  Soon  after  reaching  the  plateau  it  throws  off  one  branch 
which  goes  down  near  Bear  River,  past  Corinne,  to  the  lake, 
about  30  miles.  It  throws  off  a  second  branch  west  of  the  Malad, 


20 

which  runs  southward  to  near  Little  Mountain,  and  then  west- 
ward to  the  main  canal. 

The  area  of  lands  which  will  be  tributary  to  these  canals  is 
some  20'),000  acres.  The  soil  is  extremely  fertile,  and  the  lands 
most  favorably  located. 

The  Canal  Company  offer  these  lands  for  sale  at  $25  to  $35 
an  acre,  which  includes  $10  for  perpetual  right  to  one  cubic  foot 
of  water  per  second  for  each  80  acres.  The  yearly  rental  or 
maintainance  tax  it  is  proposed  to  put  at  $1.50  or  $2.00  an  acre 
of  land  watered.  The  irrigating  works  were  planned  by  eminent 
engineers;  the  canal  owners  have  water  power  and  city  (Ogden) 
water  works  to  look  after,  which  will  compel  them  to  maintain 
the  works  in  good  repair.  The  water  may  be  depended  upon 
absolutely. 

This  work  of  the  Bear  River  Canal  Company,  though  less 
than  one-third  completed,  is  by  far  the  most  important  irrigation 
work  yet  undertaken  in  this  Territory. 

DUCHESNE    AND    STBAWBERRY    RIVER    CANAL    CO. 

There  is  now  a  very  elaborate  and  extensive  project,  well 
under  way,  to  take  out  a  portion  of  the  waters  of  the  Straw- 
berry and  Duchesne  Rivers  and  irrigate  200,000  acres  of  the 
most  fertile  lands.  Much  of  this  now  lies  within  the  Indian 
Reserve,  but  which  it  is  believed  will  be  set  off.  As  this  enter- 
prise will  form  the  subject  of  a  separate  paper  by  one  of  the 
delegates  (Mr.  A.  D.  Ferron,  C.  E.)  reference  is  made  thereto. 

NORTH     POINT    CONSOLIDATED    CANAL. 

This  is  also  a  canal  of  quite  recent  construction  (1891).  It 
adds  14|  miles  to  the  system  now  west  of  the  Jordan  River.  Of 
the  whole  length,  nearly  one  quarter,  has  a  bottom  width  of  50 
feet,  the  remainder  varying  from  20  to  15  feet.  The  fall  is  very 
slight,  0.7  feet  to  the  mile.  The  estimated  capacity  is  93  cubic 
feet  to  the  second.  The  soils  are  such  that  two-thirds  of  a 
second  foot,  it  is  stated,  will  irrigate  100  acres,  or  a  total  of  about 
14,000  acres. 


21 

SWAN    LAKE    RESERVOIR    AND     CANAL     COMPANY. 

This  is  another  comparatively  recent  enterprise  and  has  for 
its  object  the  utilization  of  the  waters  of  the  Sevier  River.  It 
consists  of  a  reservoir  covering  an  area  of  70  square  miles  fed 
by  the  river  and  located  in  the  central  portion  of  Millard  County, 
five  miles  west  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  fifteen  miles  north- 
east of  Sevier  Lake  or  Sink,  and  170  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake 
City. 

This  large  reservoir  of  over  40,000  acres,  as  may  be  supposed, 
is  very  largely  natural,  and  consists  of  a  number  of  lake  basins 
which  are  appropriated  by  the  work  of  construction,  such  changes 
being  made  as  were  necessary  to  adapt  them  to  the  requirements 
of  the  reservoir. 

The  continued  action  of  the  river  current  has  built  up  walls 
or  natural  levees  which  rise  to  a  height  above  the  surrounding 
country  like  the  levees  of  the  Mississippi  and  other  streams.  The 
company  in  constructing  their  reservoir  have  repaired  the  natural 
walls,  built  strong  dykes  across  channels,  cut  ditches  and  canals, 
built  dams  and  flumes.  The  entire  plant  is  of  such  a  character 
it  can  be  enlarged  and  improved  indefinitely. 

There  are  at  present  over  200,000  acres  of  level  fertile  and 
irrigable  land  lying  under  the  reservoir  supply.  There  has 
already  been  completed  about  15  miles  of  canal.  A  townsite  and 
buildings  for  employers  and  laborers  has  been  laid  out,  some 
20,000  shade  trees  planted  a  rod  apart  and  along  also  several 
of  the  streets. 

The  reservoir,  or  more  appropriately  lake,  when  full  will 
hold  about  three  and  one  half  billion  cubic  feet,  or  200,000  acre 
feet.  In  May,  1891,  when  the  river  had  its  rise,  the  flow  over 
the  waste  dam  was  30,000  miners'  inches.  The  hrigable  land  has 
an  underlie  of  clay  a  few  feet  below  surface,  which  will  materially 
lessen  the  amount  of  water  required  for  irigation.  The  company 
expect  to  irrigate  75,000  acres. 

OQUIRRH    WATER    AND    LAND    COMPANY. 

This  company  has  for  its  object  the  lowering  of  the  Jordan 
River  at  the  outlet  and  below  Utah  lake.  The  present  river 


22 

bed  is  much  higher  than  the  bottom  of  the  lake  and  acts  as  a 
bar  to  the  lowering  thereof  and  to  the  obtaining  of  a  large  supply 
of  water  that  now  cannot  be  utilized  and  which  when  so  utilized 
will  be  restored  in  the  winter.  Such  a  lowering  will  also  admit 
of  a  better  regulation  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  lake.  This  low- 
ering of  the  outlet  will  permit  the  irrigation  of  possibly  some 
25,000  acres,  and  by  storing  in  the  Provo  River  this  can  be  still 
further  augmented. 

In  cities  the  municipal  corporations  control  the  waters, 
water-masters  being  appointed  to  regulate  the  division  of  the 
water. 

For  regulation  of  water  rights  see  Utah  statutes  of  1880, 
page  36 ;  for  acts  relating  to  Salt  Lake  City  Canal,  see  same 
pages  55  and  85;  for  law  relating  to  irrigating  companies,  see 
Utah  statutes  of  1884,  page  127,  laws  of  1890,  pp.  12,  21,  and 
142. 

PRINCIPAL    IRRIGATION    STREAMS. 

As  concerns  the  Great  Salt  Lake  drainage  system  it  has  been 
shown  that  the  three  principal  rivers  are  the  Bear,  the  Weber 
and  the  Jordan. 

The  mean  annual  flow  of  Bear  River,  where  it  enters  Salt 
Lake  Valley,  is  about  5,000  cubic  feet  per  second.  Its  delta- 
plain^  contains  about  214  square  miles  of  unsurpassable  soil, 
upon  which  the  Bear  River  Canal  Company  has  diverted  2,000 
second-cubic  feet  of  water  through  upward  of  100  miles  of  canals 
at  a  cost  of  nearly  $2,000,000.  The  soil  is  rich  and  ideally 
adapted  to  irrigation,  having  a  gentle  fall,  being  smooth  as  a 
floor,  and  well  and  deeply  drained  by  the  Bear  and  Malad  rivers. 

As  if  to  forever  bar  a  water  famine  in  North  Salt  Lake  Valley, 
nature  has  provided  a  natural  reservoir  in  Bear  Lake,  situated 
near  Bear  River  and  connected  with  the  river  by  a  narrow  out- 
let, high  up  in  the  mountains.  The  lake  has  an  area  of  150 
square  miles,  and  can  be  raised  ten  feet  by  a  dam  thrown  across 
the  outlet  at  small  expense.  Thus  enough  water  can  be  stored 
during  two-thirds  of  the  year  to  flow,  in  connection  with 
the  current,  5,000  feet  per  second  during  the  other  third 


23 

of  the  year.  Bear  River  itself  can  be  turned  into  the  lake 
by  a  short  canal  from  above,  and  upon  its  upper  tributaries,  on 
the  northern  slope  of  the  Uintah  Range,  there  are  many 
glacial  lakes  which  can  be  made  use  of  for  impounding  water. 
The  Weber  River  runs  in  a  general  northwesterly  course 
from  the  Uintah  Mountains  to  Great  Salt  Lake,  entering  the 
latter  at  the  middle  of  its  eastern  shore.  The  Ogden  is  its  only 
important  tributary.  Its  delta-plain  comprises  about  2-'0  square 
miles  of  farming  land. 

The  Jordan  River  is  the  outlet  of  Utah  Lake,  and  runs 
northward,  entering  Great  Salt  Lake  at  its  southeastern  angle.  On 
the  right  it  receives  anumber  of  large  tributaries  from  the  Wasatch. 
The  largest  tributary  of  Utah  Lake  is  Provo  or  Tunpanogas  River, 
which  rises  near  the  souice  of  the  Weber  and  Bear,  in  the  Uintah 
Mountains.  Minor  tributaries  of  Utah  Lake  are  American  Fork, 
Spanish  Fork,  Hobble  Creek,  Payson  Creek,  Salt  Creek,  etc.  On 
all  the  tributaries  of  Utah  Lake  there  are  about  320  square 
miles  of  irrigable  land ;  and  in  the  Jordan  Valley,  below  Utah 
Lake,  inclusive  of  Bountiful  and  Centerville,  there  are  about  250 
square  miles.  In  addition  the  water  can  be  carried  around  the 
point  of  the  Oquirrh  Range  on  the  southern  shore  of  Great 
Salt  Lake,  and  be  used  to  water  50  square  miles  of  Tooele 
Valley. 

Utah  Lake  is  a  natural  reservoir,  145  square  miles  in  surface 
area.  With  suitable  headworks  its  volume  can  be  controlled,  and 
the  entire  charge  be  concentrated  in  the  season  of  irrigation. 
The  mean  volume  of  the  outlet  is  about  1,000  second-cubic  feet, 
but  one-fourth  of  this  must  be  assigned  to  watering  lands  on  the 
tributaries  of  the  lake  and  to  evaporation,  leaving  a  perennial 
flow  of  750  second-cubic  feet,  which  if  concentrated  into  four 
months  would  irrigate  for  that  period,  350  square  miles. 

There  is  thus  water  enough  forever  assured  to  irrigate  every 
acre  of  the  eastern  border  of  Great  Salt  Lake  Basin,  from  Nephi 
on  the  south  to  Bear  River  canyon  on  the  north,  a  distance,  as 
traveled,  of  about  180  miles.  This  fringe  of  the  desert,  between  the 
Wasatch  and  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  between  the  Wasatch  and  Utah 


24 

Lake,  is,  in  location,  resources,  climate,  fertility,  potentially,  the 
glory  of  the  earth.  It  is  easily  the  garden  spot  of  Utah.  Every 
acre  of  land  is  intrinsically  worth  $100,  although  it  ranges  in 
prices  all  the  way  from  $5  to  $225  per  acre.  The  average,  away 
from  the  suburbs  of  larger  towns,  is  perhaps,  $50  per  acre.  Al- 
together, about  7,590  secand-cubic  feet  of  water  perennially 
flows  into  Great  Salt  Lake. 

SEVIER  LAKE  DRAINAGE  BASIN. — According  to  the  accom- 
plished geologists  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  which 
this  sketch  follows,  the  Wasatch  ends  with  Mount  Nebo,  which 
overhangs  Nephi.  The  elevated  lands  southward  these  gentlemen 
term  the  high  plateaus,  divided  by  great  longitudinal  faults  into 
three  ranges,  each  made  up  of  different  members,  as  the  Sanpete, 
the  Pahvant,  the  Tushar,  and  the  Markagunt,  facing  the  Great 
Basin;  and  the  Wasatch,  the  Fish  Lake,  the  Awapa,  and  the 
Aquarius,  east  of  Grass  Valley.  The  Pahvant  and  the  Tushar, 
says  Captain  Button,  present  a  curious  admixture  of  plateau 
and  sierra,  but  the  others  are  true  tables,  made  and  kept  so  by 
the  lavas  which  cap  them  and  successfully  resist  erosion. 

The  Wasatch  plateau  is  east  of  Sanpete  Valley,  above  which 
it  rises  a  whole  mile.  The  San  Pitch  River  is  the  largest  tribu- 
tary of  the  Sevier.  In  1890  the  farmers  of  Gunnision  dammed 
the  San  Pitch  River  a  few  miles  southwesterly  of  the  town  of 
Manti;  by  this  they  have  funished  a  reservoir  with  capacity  of 
26'),()00,000  cubic  feet,  or  6,000  acre  feet.  Powell  gives  the 
capacity  of  this  stream  at  60  second-feet.  This  reservoir  is  in- 
tended only  as  a  storage  basin,  but  is  good  evidence  in  showing 
the  tendency  of  the  people  to  increase  their  cultivable  acreage 
in  the  most  practical  way.  The  whole  cost  had  not  eoualled  $4,000. 

Probably  upward  of  a  hundred  square  miles  are  served  by 
the  small  streams  of  southwestern  Utah,  as  at  Levan,  Scipio, 
Holden,  Fillmore,  Oak  City,  Kanosh,  Beaver,  Paragoonah,  Cedar 
City,  Pinto,  Hebron,  etc.  In  this  region  the  water  is  insufficient 
to  supply  the  arable  land,  but  it  can  be  largely  increased  by  stor- 
age, without  doubt. 

COLORADO  RIVER  DRAINAGE. — Of  the  Rio  Colorado  drainage 


25 

system,  the  main  channel  is  the  river  Colorado  and  its  proper 
continuation,  the  Green  River.  The  principal  tributaries  of 
these  streams  from  the  east  are  the  White,  the  Grand  and  the 
San  Juan,  the  White  entering  the  Green,  the  Grand  uniting  with 
the  Green  to  form  the  Colorado,  and  the  San  Juan  entering 
the  latter  about  125  miles  from  the  confluence  of  the  Grand  and 
the  Gr^en.  The  tributaries  from  the  west  are  the  Virgin,  the 
Kanab,  the  Paria,  the  Escalante,  the  Fremont,  the  San  Rafael, 
the  Price,  the  Minnie  Maud,  the  Uintah.  or  Du  Chesne  and  the 
Ashley  Fork. 

The  climate  is  extremely  arid,  the  elevation  between  2,500 
and  11,500  feet,  giving  great  range  in  the  temperature.  The 
limit  of  successful  (hay)  farming  is  about  7,000  feet.  Aside 
from  the  Uintah- White  basin,  which  contains  more  than  half  of 
the  irrigable  land  of  the  entire  district,  and  which  is  an  Indian 
Reserve,  the  lands  are  generally  of  terraces  or  benches,  or  in  re- 
stricted valleys  between  the  higher  courses  of  the  streams  and 
their  canyons,  and  are  from  4,500  to  6,000  feet  in  altitude.  The 
Price,  the  Uintah  or  Du  Chesne,  the  Green  and  the  Grand  have 
plenty  of  water,  but,  excepting  the  Uintah,  the  land  upon  which 
their  waters  can  be  diverted  is  very  limited.  On  the  Virgin, 
which  is  far  south  and  low  in  altitude,  there  are  thirty  to  fifty 
square  miles.  In  the  entire  district  there  may  be  a  thousand 
square  miles  of  irrigable  arable  land. 

METHODS    OF    IRRIGATION. 

As  will  be  seen  there  are  only  a  few  square  miles  in  Utah 
that  do  not  require  irrigation.  The  system  of  cultivating  the  soil 
in  Utah  is  to  start  canals  at  the  mouth  of  the  canyons,  where 
dams  are  built.  These  canals  are  run  from  the  canyons  out 
upon  the  more  level  laud  of  the  valleys  and  there  subdivided  into 
branch  canals,  and  these  again  divided  into  laterals  leading  to  every 
farm  so  long 'as  there  is  water  to  be  distributed.  Each  farmer 
has  canals  leading  from  the  main  one  to  every  field,  and  gener- 
ally along  the  whole  length  of  the  upper  side  of  each  field.  Each 
field  has  little  furrows,  a  foot  or  more  apart,  and  parallel  with  each 


26 

other,  running  either  lengthwise  or  crosswise  or  diagonally  across 
as  the  slope  of  the  land  requires.  Into  these  furrows  the  water  is 
turned,  one  or  more  at  a  time,  as  the  quantity  of  water  permits, 
until  it  has  flowed  nearly  to  the  other  end,  when  it  is  turned  into 
the  next  furrows,  and  so  on  until  all  are  watered. 

This  is  the  usual  custom,  but  where  the  soil  is  made  of  clay 
this  method  is  not  so  good  and  another  is  used.  This  method 
is  to  throw  up  little  embankments  six  inches  high  around  separ- 
ate plats  of  land  that  are  of  uniform  level,  and  turn  the  water  in 
until  the  plat  is  full  to  the  top,  when  the  water  is  drawn  off  to 
the  next  lower  plat  and  so  on  to  the  end.  This  enables  the  water 
to  soak  in  more  and  so  does  thfc  crop  more  good,  but  where  the 
soil  is  porous,  as  is  generally  the  case,  it  is  not  so  good  a  method, 
as  it  wastes  water.  Each  farm  generally  has  the  right  to  use  the 
water  so  many  hours  once  a  week  or  once  in  10,  12  or  14  days, 
as  the  particular  valley  and  the  time  of  the  year  require.  The 
crops  are  supposed  to  get  a  good  soaking  at  every  watering.  The 
amount  of  land  that  each  person  can  cultivate  depends  upon  the 
quantity  of  water  right  that  he  owns.  The  method  of  dividing 
the  water  depends  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  far  ners;  in  some 
places  it  is  very  crude,  in  others  it  is  thorough.  In  few  places  is 
any  one  entitled  to  a  certain  number  of  cubic  feet  per  second. 
Generally  each  man  has  a  right  to  such  a  portion  of  the  water 
in  a  certain  stream  or  river;  if  the  season  is  a"  dry  one  he  gets 
less  water,  and  if  it  is  a  wet  one  he  gets  plenty.  He  must  govern 
the  quantity  of  crops  put  in  by  what  he  thinks  will  be  the  water 
supply  for  the  season. 

The  method  of  dividing  the  water  is  to  put  in  a  dam  at  the 
head  of  the  canal  on  the  stream,  with  a  partition  in  it  separating 
the  proper  share  for  the  canal,  the  rest  being  allowed  to  flow 
down  the  channel  of  the  stream.  The  same  method  is  used  in 
the  canal  where  people  have  certain  shares  in  the  stream  at  every 
new  canal.  Where  the  rights  of  people  are  based  on  a  certain 
number  of  cubic  feet  per  second,  or  miners'  inches,  there  is  a 
gate  put  in  at  every  dam  and  lowered  into  the  water  till  the  water 
reaches  a  mark  six  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the  gate.  This 


27 

gate  is  raised  or  lowered  as  the  quantity  of  water  requires  to 
keep  the  water  on  that  point  on  the  gate.  The  length  and  width 
of  the  space  below  the  gate  are  multiplied  together,  and  the  pro- 
duct is  called  so  many  miners'  inches  ;  generally  48  of  these  are 
considered  to  be  equal  to  one  cubic  foot  per  second.  This  method 
is  correct  where  there  is  no  back  water  below  the  darn  to  inter- 
fere with  the  fall  of  the  water.  The  partition  is  then  put  in  at 
the  proper  place  to  give  the  owners  their  due  share  of  water. 
This  division  is  kept  up  until  there  is  no  water  to  distribute. 
Those  people  who  have  a  secondary  right  get  what  is  left  after 
the  primary  rights  are  filled.  The  irrigation  season  generally 
begins  in  May  or  the  first  of  June,  and  ends  in  August,  and  is 
about  120  days  long.  The  amount  of  land  that  one  cubic  foot 
of  water  can  irrigate,  ranges  from  35  acres  in  the  very  hot  and 
sandy  country  in  the  south,  to  150  acres  in  the  higher  valleys. 
The  average  is  about  one  cubic  foot  to  100  acres.  The  future 
growth  in  agriculture  depends  upon  the  storage  of  water  in 
reservoirs,  and  above  all  in  the  economical  use  of  the  water  we 
have.  Subsoil  irrigation  is  another  great  hope  of  Utah.  By 
this  many  times  the  present  cultivated  area  can  be  reclaimed,  and 
as  before  stated,  by  a  proper  use  of  the  underground  sources. 

SOIL    AND    CLIMATE. 

As  before  stated,  Salt  Lake  is  in  latitude  40  degrees  46 
minutes  north,  and  longitude  111  degrees  54  minutes  west,  and 
is  near  the  isotherm  of  52  degrees.  In  latitude  we  are  in  line 
with  northern  Missouri,  Peoria,  Illinois;  Columbus,  Pittsburg, 
Reading,  and  Staten  Island;  and  can  raise  all  kinds  of  fruits 
except  oranges,  etc.,  and  even  these  we  can  raise  in  Southern  Utah. 
Every  kind  of  tree  growing  north  of  Virginia  will  thrive  herein  the 
open  air.  There  are  now  growing  in  Salt  Lake  City  the  follow- 
ing: sycamore,basswood,  locust,  honey  locust,  ailantus,  cottonwood, 
balm  of  gilead,  lombardy,  soft  and  hard  maple,  box  elder,  walnut, 
chestnut,  white  ash,  white  and  roch  elm,  mulberry,  butternut, 
larch,  pines,  spruces,  firs,  oaks,  peach,  plum,  apricot,  apple,  etc. 

Since  our  winter  is  only  about  six  weeks  long,  the  spring  is 


28 

quite  early;  the  farmers  frequently  plow  in  February,  and  sow 
their  small  grain.  Our  latest  frost  averages  April  8th,  so  that 
the  most  delicate  plants  are  safe  after  that.  Our  earliest  frost 
comes  about  September  26,  so  that  all  our  crops  have  ample  time 
to  mature. 

During  the  season  of  1890,  crops  were  raised  by  irrigation 
on  396,000  acres,  say  about  three-fourths  of  one  per  cent. 
About  85  per  cent,  of  the  cultivated  areas  required  irrigation,  the 
remaining  15  per  cent,  being  "dry  farmed." 

The  average  size  of  the  portions  of  farms  under  cultivation 
was  40  acres.  The  average  first  cost  of  the  water  right  is 
$10.55  per  acre,  and  the  average  first  cost  of  preparing  the  soil 
for  cultivation,  including  the  purchase  price  of  land  is  $16.10 
per  acre.  The  average  present  value  of  the  irrigated  land  of  the 
Territory,  including  improvements  etc.,  is  reported  at  $84.25  per 
acre,  showing  an  apparent  profit,  less  cost  of  improvements  of 
$57.60  per  acre. 

The  average  of  the  estimated  value  placed  by  the  farmer  up- 
on this  water  right  is  $^J6.84  this  is  the  price  which  the  water 
rights,wherever  transferable  without  the  land,  have  usually  brought 
or  would  probably  bring  in  the  various  localities,  the  value  of 
these  rights  being  dependant  largely  upon  the  probabilities  of 
the  owner  receiving  the  amount  of  water  claimed. 

A    TYPICAL    CASE. 

The  following  statement,  based  on  actual  experience,  and 
made  by  one  of  the  most  intelligent  farmers  in  Utah,  shows  the 
prime  cost  of  settlement;  what  he  has  done  and  what  may  be 
done  with  a  typical  farm  of  forty  acres,  well  irrigated  land  and 
properly  handled: 

EXPENDITURE. 

First  cost  40  acres  of  land  and  water  right,  $40  per  acre,  $1,600.00 
One  mile  of  fence  (4  wire)  -  -  -  140.00 

Dwelling  house,  complete,  600.00 

Stable,  barn  and  sheds,  -  -  260.00 

Clearing,  plowing  and  harrowing  40  acres,  -  150.00 

100  shade  trees,  ....  .  15.00 


29 

200  fruit  trees,  $30.00 

10  acres  planted  to  alfalfa  and  seed,  20.00 

20  acres  wheat  and  seed,  •                                       30.00 

4  acres  of  potatoes,  seed  and  planting,  20.00 

5  acres  of  oats,                            -  -           10.00 
Water  rental,     -  -                                     80.00 


Total,  $2,955.00 

FIRST  YEAR'S  RETURNS,  HARVESTED. 

800  bushels  of  wheat,  60  cents  per  bushel,  $    480.00 

1,200  bushels  of  potatoes,  50  cents  per  bushel,     -  600.00 

250  bushels  of  oats,  $1.00  per  bushel,  250.00 

10  acres  of  alfalfa  and  seed  (J  return),       -  150.00 


Total,  -  $1,480.00 

The  above  shows  a  net  earning  of  50  per  cent.,  or  one-half 
the  total  amount  invested,  for  the  first  year's  work. 

RAINFALL  AND  HUMIDITY. 

For  ease  of  comprehension  Utah  may  best  be  divided  into 
three  divisions:  The  moist  counties,  whose  rainfall  exceeds  12 
inches  per  annum;  the  dry  counties,  with  a  rainfall  of  6  to  12 
inches;  and  the  hot  counties,  with  a  slight  rainfall  and  great  heat. 

The  moist  counties  are  Cache,  Box  Elder,  Rich,  Morgan, 
Weber,Davis,  Summit,  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  Wasatch,  Uintah,  San- 
pete,  Sevier  and  parts  of  Emery,  Garfield,  Piute  and  San  Juan. 

The  dry  counties  areTooele,  Juab,  Millard,  Beaver,  Iron  and 
parts  of  others. 

The  hot  counties  are  Washington,  Kane,  and  parts  of  San 
Juan,  Piute  and  Garfjeld. 

General  Greely,  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  United  States 
has  most  thoughtfully  sent  through  Governor  Thomas  advance 
sheets  (galley  proofs)  giving  complete  tables  and  graphical  charts 
of  the  rainfall  and  temperature.  The  former  dating  from  1856, 
the  latter  from  1850.  Whether  the  observations  as  to  rainfall 
made  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  signal  office  here,  1874, 
are  reliable,  is  very  doubtful — they  increase  the  annual  average 
verv  materiallv. 


30 

No  other  data  more  forcibly  shows  the  arid  nature  of  Utah, 
and  it  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  not  yet  established 
points  of  observations  in  the  Wasatch  and  Uintah  ranges  that 
we  might  have  a  better  knowledge  of  the  annual  precipitation  in 
the  locality  from  which  our  irrigation  supply  is  obtained. 

Temperature  also  cuts  quite  a  figure,  for  a  "late  spring"  and 
cool  summer,  even  with  a  lesser  and  late  snowfall,  gives  better 
and  more  equable  results  from  the  irrigation  standpoint,  as  wit- 
ness this  "season"  of  1891. 

In  Salt  Lake  Valley,  40  per  cent,  of  the  rainfall  occurs  in 
the  spring,  9  in  the  summer,  25  in  the  fall,  and  26  in  the 
winter.  Winter  begins  about  January  1st  and  lasts  six  weeks. 
In  latitude  40  degrees  there  should  be  on  general  principles  30 
inches  in  a  year. 

Over  the  United  States,  east  of  the  one  hundredth  meridian 
west  of  Greenwich,  the  average  rainfall  is  40  inches,  60  per  cent, 
of  which  is  at  once  thrown  off  in  the  river  discharge. 

The  meterological  records  do  not  indicate  that  the  climate  is 
growing  moister;  but  Rush  Lake  rolls  its  blue  waves  over  what 
was  a  meadow  20  years  ago,  and  Great  Salt  Lake  has  at  least  ten 
feet  of  brine  where  wagons  were  driven  to  and  fro  in  1863. 

Increased  humidity  has  followed  the  settlement  and  cultivation 
of  the  Mississippi  valley  prairies,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  it  is 
doing  so  in  Utah,  although  there  is  not  sufficient  data  as  yet  to 
determine  in  what  degree. 

The  mean-air  pressure  at  Salt  Lake  City  is  25.63  inches; 
water  boils  at  204.3  degrees.  The  prevailing  winds  are  from  the 
north-northwest,  and  the  most  windy  months  are  March,  July, 
August  and  September.  The  mean  velocity  ot  the  winds  during  the 
entire  year  is  5£  miles  an  hour.  On  the  ocean  it  is  18;  at  Liverpool 
it  is  13;  at  Toronto,  9;  at  Philadelphia,  11.  The  climate  of  Utah 
on  the  whole  is  not  unlike  that  of  northwestern  Texas  and  New 
Mexico,  and  is  agreeable  except  for  a  month  or  so  in  winter,  and 
then  the  temperature  seldom  falls  to  zero  or  snow  to  a  greater 
depth  than  a  foot;  and  it  soon  melts  away,  although  it  sometimes 
affords  a  few  days'  sleighing.  The  spring  opens  early  in  March. 


31 


Means... 

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MONTHLY  AND  ANNUAL  PRECIPITATION  AT  SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  FROM  RETURNS 
U.  S.  SIGNAL  OFFICE,  WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

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32 


The  following   gives  the    average    annual    precipitation    at 
prominent  points  north,  east,  south  and  west  of  Salt  Lake  City: 


STATION. 

DURATION  OF 
OBSERVATIONS. 

AVERAGE   ANNUAL 
PRECIPITATION. 

Kelton,     ------ 
Ogden,      --.          -     - 

12    years. 
21 
10 
3 
9 
3 

6.10    inches. 
13.46 
13.74 
6.53 
17.41 
5.18 

Fort  Duchesne, 
Fort  Douglass,  - 
Deep  Creek,        -     -     -     - 

UNITED    STATES    LAND    OFFICE    RETURNS, 

No.  of  acres  entered  under  the  Desert  Land  Laws,       694,176.76 
No.   of    acres   on  which  final  papers  have  issued 

under  Desert  Land  Laws,  135,340.32 

No.  of  acres  entered  under  the  Timber  Culture  Laws,  179,118.35 
No.  of  acres  entered  under  the  Homestead  Laws,  1,293,750.00 
No.  of  acres  on  which  Cash  Certificates  have  issued,  375,791.25 
No  of  acres  entered  under  all  the  land  laws,  -  2,542,836.36 
Estimated  No.  of  acres  of  surveyed  land  still  sub- 
ject to  entry,  under  the  public  land  laws,  6,919,840.00 
Estimated  No.  of  acres  of  unsurveyed  land  subject 

to  entry, -         26,88',),853.00 


33 


ESTIMATED    NUMBER   OF    ACRES   OF  LAND  IN    EACH   COUNTY 
SUBJECT   TO    ENTRY. 


NO. 

COUNTY. 

ACRES  SURVEYED. 

ACRES  UNSURVEYED. 

1 

Beaver,     - 

335,160 

1,700,000 

2 

Box  Elder,     -     - 

483,316 

1,906,960 

3 

Cache        .     -     - 

90,740 

95,668 

4, 

Davis,  -     -     -     - 

9,367 

700,000 

5 

Emery,      -     -     - 

448,165 

2,300,000 

6 

Garfield,   -     -     - 

214,500 

2,30<>,000 

7 

Iron,    -     -     -     - 

58-2,250 

1,920,000 

8 

Juab,  -     -     -     - 

707,920 

1,500,000 

9 

Kane,        ... 

377,580 

1,610,000 

10 

Millard,    -     -     - 

1,191,590 

2,500,000 

11 

Morgan,    -     -     - 

51,080 

500,000 

12 

Piute,  -     -     -     - 

220,880 

1,380,000 

13 

Rich,  -     ... 

289,8«0 

7,000 

14 

Salt  Lake,     -     - 

2,700 

130,000 

15 

San  pete,   -     -     - 

122,680 

860,000 

16 

Sevier,       ... 

211,100 

1,460,000 

17 

Summit,    -     -     - 

217,500 

1,000,000 

18 

Tooele,     -     -     - 

769,220 

2,500,000 

19 

Uintah,     - 

150,540 

1,  (544,000 

20 

Utah,  ..... 

182,677 

1,000,000 

21 

Wasatch,        -     - 

62,155 

207,000 

22 

Washington,  - 

188,340 

1,000,000 

23 

Weber,      -     -     - 

8,500 

290,519 

Total,     -     -     - 

6,919,840 

26,882,853 

DUTY    OF    WATER. 

0 
As  there  does  not  appear  to  be   a   clear  understanding  by 

most  people  of  many  of  the  terms  used  in  connection  with  irri- 
gation, the  following,  defining  the  meaning  of  such  expressions 
and  giving  the  comparative  values  used,  it  was  deemed  would  be 
useful.  Irrigation  water  is  measured  generally  by  the  cubic 
foot,  by  the  gallon  or  by  miners  inches. 

The  "duty  of  water"  means  the  area  of  land  upon  which  a 
.definite  volume  of  water,  applied  during  a  given  period,  will  suc- 
cessfully raise  crops.     Thus  the  average  duty  in  Utah  of  one 
cubic  foot  per  second,  during  a  period  of  120  days,  is   100  acres. 


34 

One  cubic  foot  per  second  is  called  a  "second-foot."  The  "acre- 
foot"  is  the  equivalent  of  one  acre  covered  one  foot  deep  or 
43,560  cubic  feet.  The  miners  inch  is  a  variable  quantity  de- 
pending upon  the  head  above  the  one  inch  orifice  of  discharge. 
It  varies  from  a  four  inch  head  to  a  six  inch  head,  and  is  not  a 
commendable  unit  of  measure.  Thus  there  are  50  miners  inches 
to  a  cubic  foot  per  second,  California  measurement,  and  about  -JO 
miners  inches  Colorado  measurement.  One  cubic  foot  contains 
7£  U.  S.  gallons  of  231  cubic  inches. 

CUBIC    FEET. 

]  cubic  foot  peT  second  equals  2  acre  feet  in  24  hours. 

"     60     "       "         30  days. 
"   130     "       "  3  months. 

"  170     "       "  1  year. 

"  "  "  "    7.5  gallons  per  second. 

"  449         "         "    minute. 
"  "  "     50  California  inches. 

"  38.4  Colorado 

CALIFORNIA    INCHES. 

ICO  California  inches  equals      4  acre  feet  in  24  hours. 

1     "     foot        6       " 
"     120     "     feet      30    days. 
"     360     "       "          3  months. 
"  14-iQ     "       "  1  year. 

"  "  "15  gallons  per  second. 

"     900  "         minute. 

"  "       77  Colorado  inches. 

"  %  "  "        2  Cubic  feet  per  second. 

COLORADO    INCHES. 

100  Colorado  inches  equals       5^  acre  feet  in  24  hours. 

1       "     foot  in  4.2     " 
"155       "     feet  in  1  month. 
"       465       "       "         3  months. 
"    1,860       "      "         1  year. 
"  "          19.50  gallons  per  second. 

"1,170  "  minute. 

"  "  2.6  cubic  feet  per  second. 

"       130  California  inches. 


35 

The  terms  as  applied  to  wells  such  as  "artesian  positive" 
means  one  from  which  the  water  rises  above  the  surface. 

"Artesian  negative"  is  one  in  which  the  water  does  not  rise 
above  the  surface. 

"Phreatic  water"  (signifying  ground  water),  is  that  nearer 
the  surface  and  derived  from  absorption,  and  is  a  name  given 
in  a  general  way  to  all  species  of  wells  that  arc  supplied  from 
the  "ground  water." 

SYNOPSIS  OF  UTAH   LAWS  RELATIVE  TO 
IRRIGATION. 

Whenever  the  public  necessity  requires  it>  the  county  court 
may  organize  the  county,  or  a  part  of  it,  into  an  irrigation  dis- 
trict, and  the  land  holders  therein  may  use  the  water  brought  into 
the  district  according  to  their  respective  needs,  provided  they  pay 
and  perform  their  proportion  of  the  necessary  expense  and  labor. 
They  may,  on  due  notice,  elect  trustees,  a  secretary,  and  a 
treasurer. 

The  trustees  shall  locate  the  ditches  and  estimate  all  costs 
and  report  to  the  county  court.  If  the  report  be  approved  by  a 
two-thirds  vote,  a  tax  shall  be  assessed  and  the  ditch  constructed. 

The  trustees  have  general  supervision  of  the  construction, 
maintenance,  and  regulation  of  the  ditches;  they  may  hold 
such  personal  property  as  is  necessary  to  the  performance  of 
their  duties;  may  sue  and  be  sued,  and  may  have  appraised  and 
sell  any  unclaimed  lands  that  are  to  be  benefited,  and  apply  the 
proceeds  to  the  construction  of  the  ditches. 

Lakes  and  ponds  may  be  used  as  reservoirs,  provided  they 
are  not  raised  so  as  to  injure  settlers  upon  their  banks. 

In  case  of  inundation  or  other  sudden  emergency,  the  trus- 
tees may  take  measures  for  protection. 

Property  and  money  in  the  hands  of  trustees  to  be  used  on 
the  ditches  is  exempt  from  taxation. 

Ditches  have  the  right  of  way,  a  proper  compensation  having 
been  paid. 

Any  person  injuring  a  ditch  or  any  of  its  appurtenances,  is 
liable  in  damages  and  to  a  fine  and  imprisonment. 

The  district  is  liable  for  damage  caused  by  the  breakage  of 
a  ditch. 

The  rate  of  tax  at  any  election  subsequent  to  the  first  may 
be  determined  by  a  majority  vote,  and  the  tax  thus  assessed  shall 


36 

be  a  lien  upon  the  taxpayer's  interest  in  the  ditch  and  a  right  to 
use  the  water. 

By  act  of  February  20,  1880,  the  selectmen  of  the  several 
counties  are  made  water  commissioners,  who  have  a  kind  of  su- 
perior jurisdiction  of  the  water  rights  in  their  respective  coun- 
ties. 

They  determine  claims  relative  to  the  use  of  water,  oversee,, 
either  personally  or  by  agents-,  its  distribution  and  determine 
questions  of  right  of  way,  etc. 

They  also  issue  certificates  showing  the  extent  of  water 
rights. 

A  person  first  taking  water  from  any  source  of 
supply,  or  having  the  open,  peaceable,  and  continuous  use  of 
the  water  for  seven  years,  has  a  primary  right  therein  to  the 
extent  of  the  reasonable  use  thereof. 

Whenever  persons  having  the  primary  right  use  the 
water  for  a  part  of  the  year  only,  the  person  appropriating  it  for 
the  balance  of  the  year  acquires  a  secondary  right. 

The  person  appropriating  the  surplus  above  the  average  of 
seven  years  also  acquires  a  secondary  right. 

Water  rights  may  be  measured  in  inches  or  by  fractional 
parts  of  the  whole  supply.  Water  rights  may  pertain  to  the  land 
or  may  be  personal  property,  as  the  owner  may  elect,  and  a 
change  of  place  shall  not  affect  the  right  to  use  the  water;  but 
no  change  of  place  shall  be  made  to  the  injury  of  another  owner 
without  ju  t  compensation  Neglect  for  seven  years  to  use  water,, 
or  keep  in  repair  the  means  of  conveying  it,  is  regarded  as  an 
abandonment  of  the  right. 

Water  rights  are  exempt  from  taxation,  except  for  the  pur- 
pose of  regulating  the  use  of  the  rights,  but  the  increased  value 
of  the  land  may  be  regarded  in  making  the  assessments. 

Surplus  water  must  be  returned  to  the  natural  channel,  and 
any  person  wasting  it  is  liable  to  have  his  supply  shut  off,  and  to 
pay  damages  to  any  person  injured. 

Any  person  using  water  lawfully  appropriated  to  another,  or 
diverting  the  flow  of  water  lawfully  distributed,  or  injuring  any 
dam,  ditch,  etc.,  is  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor. 

V(  henever  the  supply  is  not  sufficient  for  all  purposes,  the 
use  for  domestic  purposes  and  for  irrigating  purposes  takes  pre- 
cedence in  that  order. 

Corporations  may  be  formed  under  general  laws  for  dis- 
tributing water  to  their  stockholders. 


